Other specialty of some members of the ruling Nguesso family

Besides serving as intermediaries for local and foreign businessmen and women who find it difficult to be paid for their jobs or contracts, the other specialty of some members of the ruling Nguesso family is to obtain money from anybody who wants to meet the President of the Republic without using the official trajectory, which is through the Presidential Protocol. Their intermediary service is not done for free but in exchange mostly for cash. Sometimes such services do backfire, when various actors in the illicit tractions don’t get their cuts. One of such is the case of Sun Dance Resources of Australia who through their Congolese subsidiary, Congo Iron bribed their way into the country as they also did in neighbouring Cameroon. This is how the intermediary service of some Nguesso works: Before taking anyone, in chief foreign businessmen and women to see their father or uncle, a deposit of cash is paid and upon meeting with the President, the balance is given. This money doesn’t only go into the pocket of the children or family member, it also greases the bureaucratic chain of command at the presidency, in particular the Presidential Protocol. Nothing can be done in Congo without the Nguessos giving their approval or facilitating it. Most often, the Nguessos compel investors to accept them into the board of national and foreign companies based in Congo and paradoxically, they almost all, want to be board members without buying shares. Most often than not, investors do acquiesce to the excessive demands of the family members of the Nguessos.

Voracious

The Nguessos are so voracious to a point that, they are involved even in informal sector of the economy such as the sale of smoked fish, caught by artisanal fishermen around the waters of Pointe Noire. If you ever wondered why there are empty spaces at the Maya-maya International airport in Brazzaville, it is simply because, Cendrine Otenello Sassou Nguesso, one of the daughters of the President has taken over the all the available space and increased the rents disproportionately. Whereas it was agreed that, all those who had boutiques in the former airport that was demolished to make way for the ultra modern airport, were to have new placements or boutiques within the new airport. Cendrine is also a majority shareholder in Servair, Congolese subsidiary of cookery firm that works in partnership with Air France. Her half sister, Ninelle Sassou Nguesso is in the service, hospitality and construction sectors through a company known a Group Bentsi. Jenifer and Paule Sassou Nguesso owns KlassExpo, a marketing and Communications firm situated at the ground floor of the Immeuble du 5 Fevrier 1979. The Nguessos are all over. The latter ate just a sample of their grip of the Congolese economy.